New Bill seeks to bar quacks from construction industry in Kenya

Association of Construction Managers of Kenya chairman Nashon Okowa [Godfrey Ombogo, Standard]

Players in the building and construction industry must register with a new professional body before they can be allowed to practice in Kenya.

The experts, who also include project managers, must register with the Association of Construction Managers of Kenya (ACMK) before they undertake any construction work in Kenya.

ACMK says Construction Project Managers & Construction Managers Bill 2017 will deal with malpractices that have characterised the Kenyan real estate industry leading to collapse of buildings.

The Bill comes against the backdrop of incidents of collapsed buildings that have killed many Kenyans in various parts of the country, especially in Nairobi.

“This sector has been a field for all and has been dominated by quacks and cartels who are out to make quick money at the expense of safety of Kenyans. There has never been any legal framework to guide construction and project managers,”  association’s chairman Nashon Okowa said.

ACMK was launched on Friday during which it unveiled the Bill, Okowa said, they want to present to the National Assembly before MPs break ahead of elections.

The Bill establishes a board that will vet and approve construction and project managers and prescribe an examination they must pass before they are registered with the association.

“Subject to the approval of the Cabinet Secretary, the board may, from time to time, formulate, vary and carry into effect schemes and curricula for education in construction project management and construction management,” states the Bill.

He urged developers to only engage construction and project managers registered with the association